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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Clearlake kicked off the Independence Day festivities over the weekend, and now it’s the turn of other communities around the county.
On Wednesday, July 4, several celebrations will be held around the lake. Brief rundowns are listed below.
For additional holiday information, call the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743.
Lakeport Independence Day Festivities, Lakeport
The Lakeport Main Street Association and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce are hosting an all-day street fair with music, arts and crafts, food and beverages in Library Park, between First and Third streets.
Events begin at 7 a.m. Highlights of the day will include the cardboard/duct tape boat race and fireworks over Clear Lake beginning at dusk.
The Lakeport Police Department will have an operational command center set up at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
Admission is free to the day’s events. Information: 707-263-5092, www.lakecochamber.com .
American Legion barbecue, Kelseyville
Kelseyville American Legion Tredway Post 194 will host a barbecue on Wednesday, July 4.
The event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at the post, located at Second and Gaddy Lane.
The menu will include barbecue beef and chicken, beans, salad and garlic bread.
The requested donation is $8 for adults, $4 for children age 12 and under.
Maxine Sherman Memorial Fireworks Show, Clearlake Oaks
The July 4 Maxine Sherman Memorial Fireworks display is presented at the boat launch in Clearlake Oaks every year.
The fireworks are launched from the Clearlake Oaks boat launch beginning at dusk.
It’s a cherished tradition for Clearlake Oaks, and is named for the Clearlake Oaks Glenhaven Business Association member who was convinced of the importance of putting on this yearly display and worked hard to make that happen.
Bill Stone, the current association president, said Sherman lobbied the community relentlessly and put on numerous fundraisers to support the annual show.
He said CLOGBA members eventually voted to name the event after Sherman, who died in December 1999.
“Her legacy lives on in the annual fiery explosions in the sky she so loved over the community she worked so hard for,” Stone said.
For a spectacular show, the best viewing area is on the water, anchored east of Rattlesnake Island, where the fireworks twinkle overhead and reflect off the waters of Clear Lake.
From the shore, Clearlake Oaks Beach on Island Drive is a great spot, as are Clarks Island, Widgeon Way and Nylander Park.
Admission is free. Information: 707-998-9563, www.clearlakeoaks.org .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport is preparing to host Wednesday’s Independence Day festivities in the downtown area.
The Lakeport Main Street Association and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a free day of events beginning at 7 a.m. July 4.
There will be a daylong street fair in Library Park between First and Third street, the cardboard/duct tape boat race and fireworks over Clear Lake at dusk.
The Lakeport Police Department said Lakeport City Hall will be a manned operational command center for this event.
During the celebration, the following roadways will be closed to vehicular traffic: All of Park Street from the south side of Third Street to the north side of First Street, and Second Street from the east side of North Main Street to Park Street.
All drivers are asked to use the utmost of care and diligence in their travels at all times while in the city of Lakeport during the July 4 celebration as there will be a heavy amount of foot traffic, especially small children and the elderly.
Lakeport is the only area of the county where safe and sane fireworks are allowed around the July 4 holiday.
The use of safe and sane fireworks within the city area limited to a small area of the public parking lot, immediately adjacent to the southeast corner of Coach Craft, which will be clearly delineated by orange cones/delineators, and any street within the incorporated area of Lakeport which does not violate any city of Lakeport ordinance, police reported.
In years past it was not uncommon to have safe and sane fireworks in the Safeway, Kmart, High Street and Shoreline Centers, and the Vista Point parking lot. However, the Lakeport Police Department said those areas are private property and law enforcement does not have the authority to grant permission for such activities.
The days and hours for the legal discharge of safe and sane fireworks for the rest of the week are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 4.
The discharge of legal safe and sane fireworks outside of these days and times is a violation of local ordinance.
The use of any type of firework other than safe and sane is a violation of both local and state law, the agency reported.
The Lakeport Police Department can be contacted at 707-263-5491.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced that the California Homeowner Bill of Rights is one step closer to becoming law after key provisions passed the California Legislature Monday.
The bills, which provide first of their kind protections for homeowners and reforms to the mortgage and foreclosure process, will now be sent to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration.
Gov. Brown issued a statement Monday afternoon indicating his support for the bills.
“The Homeowner Bill of Rights will prevent banks from throwing Californians out of their homes while they are trying, in good faith, to renegotiate their mortgages,” Brown said in a written statement issued by his office. “This bill establishes important consumer protections that are long overdue and I commend Attorney General Kamala Harris for her determined pursuit of these changes.”
The bills were approved 53 to 25 in the Assembly and 25 to 13 in the Senate.
“Passing these key elements of Homeowner Bill of Rights represents a significant step forward for struggling homeowners,” said Attorney General Harris. “These common-sense reforms will require banks to treat California homeowners more fairly and bring more transparency and accountability to their practices in our state. Responsible homeowners will have a better shot to keep their homes.”
“Californians will finally have a fighting chance to keep their homes, as this measure brings fairness to the loan modification and foreclosure process,” said Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. “At the same time, the protection gained by homeowners will help stabilize the housing sector of our economy. I applaud my colleagues for their hard work to protect consumers through this reasoned compromise.”
“The package approved by the Legislature today is a major victory for California’s consumers,” said Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. “We impose tough new regulations on banks and lenders to stop the abusive practices we’ve seen since the collapse of the housing market, and this package will bring relief to hundreds of thousands of California homeowners.”
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights consists of a series of related bills, including two that were passed on June 26 by a two-house conference committee: AB 278 (Eng, Feuer, Pérez, Mitchell) and SB 900 (Leno, Evans, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Pavley, Steinberg).
The two identical bills passed by the conference committee contain key elements of the legislative package and provide protections for borrowers and struggling homeowners, including a restriction on dual-track foreclosures, where a lender forecloses on a borrower despite being in discussions over a loan modification to save the home.
The bills also guarantee struggling homeowners a single point of contact at their lender with knowledge of their loan and direct access to decision makers.
For the first time, the Homeowner Bill of Rights imposes civil penalties, of up to $7,500, on the repeated filing of foreclosure documents without verifying their accuracy, a practice commonly known as “robo-signing.”
In addition, homeowners may require loan servicers to document their right to foreclose.
Homeowners also will have a clearly-defined right to access the courts to protect themselves from violations of these protections.
The Homeowner Bill of Rights also consists of four bills outside of the conference committee process. These will enhance law enforcement responses to mortgage and foreclosure-related crime, in part by empowering the attorney general to call a grand jury in response to financial crimes spanning multiple jurisdictions.
Additional elements will help communities fight blight related to foreclosure, and the crime that results, and provide enhanced protections for tenants in foreclosed homes.
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights was introduced Feb. 29 at a press conference featuring Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and bill authors from the Assembly and Senate.
The Homeowner Bill of Rights codifies many of the core protections from the recent national mortgage settlement.
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights extends Attorney General Harris’ response to the state’s foreclosure and mortgage crisis.
Attorney General Harris created a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force in March 2011 to investigate and prosecute misconduct related to mortgages and foreclosures.
In February 2012 Attorney General Harris extracted a commitment from the nation’s five largest banks to dedicate an estimated $18 billion to mitigate financial harm to California borrowers caused by bank misconduct in the foreclosure process.
To learn more about how the bills impact California homeowners, review the slideshow at www.oag.ca.gov .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) reminds boaters to use caution on the water this Fourth of July.
DBW’s boating accident data shows that more boating accidents occur during this holiday than any others during the summer boating season.
“The need for boaters to become familiar with the rules of the road is critical in ensuring a safe boating experience,” said DBW’s Acting Director Lucia Becerra. “Rules such as steering to the right when approaching another vessel head on, is important to know, especially in crowded waterways.”
The following tips can greatly decrease the chances of boaters being involved in boating accidents:
- Avoid alcohol. Everyone who drinks alcohol on board is at risk. Passengers can easily fall overboard, swim near the propeller, or cause the vessel to capsize.
- Operate your boat at a reasonable speed. Boats do not have brakes. The stopping distance in emergencies can be critical.
- Properly use water ski flags when skiers, wake boarders or tubers are down. Improper use of flags can be dangerous not only to the person in the water, but to the passing boat where its propeller when become entangled in the tow rope can result in a deadly accident.
For more safety tips or to view California’s boating laws, visit www.BoatResponsibly.com .
Remember, “If it’s your boat, it’s your responsibility.”
State law requires boaters involved in accidents to file a written report with DBW when a person dies, disappears or requires medical attention beyond first aid.
A report also is required when an accident results in damage to a vessel or other property exceeding $500 or there is a complete loss of a vessel.
For the boating accident report form visit www.dbw.ca.gov/PDF/AccidentForms/BAR.pdf .
DBW promotes on-the-water safety and helps develop convenient public access to the waterways through programs funded by vessel registration fees, boating fuel tax dollars and boating facility construction loan payments.